Overcoming a Fear
by Kat the Writer
Summary: What happens when an abusive father clouds your fears and you can't do anything about it? Ask for advice! OCbased story, rated K for very minor fighting and blood. R&R!
1. Strength

Okay, here's a new Camp Lazlo story I developed for a friend of mine. This story will have pure OCs in it, though. If you don't like OCs, you may choose to not read this. I only wrote this because my friend and I did a story trade, so this is the result.

Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Lazlo or any of its settings. I only own my OCs, which there are three of them: the main focus, in the first chapter, and in the last chapter. In the second chapter, Esau and Albert belong to a different friend and his brother. The last chapter has Tom who belongs to the dedicated friend.

Review, if you wish, and tell me how my writing style is. If it needs improvement, don't be afraid to tell me. Enjoy!

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"Overcoming a Fear"

Chapter 1: Strength

Okay, so he wasn't the bravest camper around…on the contrary, he was the most cowardly…but when a female cat with top skills in boxing challenges you to a fight of survival, you just couldn't refuse.

Slick deeply regretted taking on Karen now, but it was too late. The cat was already fitting her boxing gloves on and charging. He barely had time to dodge the first jab, but he successfully dodged the next ten…or was it twenty? She was just moving too fast to tell.

Come to think of it, why had he come to her in the first place?

Ah, that's right. He wanted to ask for her help, to somehow rid of his deepest fears in life. Well, fighting can certainly make you forget those fears…temporarily, but it won't get rid of them for good. Why didn't he see this earlier?

Focusing on these thoughts alone was actually a very bad thing, especially when fighting an expert boxer like Karen. His breath was lost as fist collided with chest, a terrible area to injure for Slick. Karen realized this and called out to him as his consciousness quickly slipped.

"Slick? Oh no. Slick! Stay with me here….."

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About two hours later, the green python woke up staring at Karen face-to-face. Wondering what happened, and why his chest hurt, he looked at the orange cat with a worried expression. Karen understood.

"I accidentally punched you in the chest. You had a deep cut there that bled after the impact, so I had to bandage that. Where did that come from?"

The cut…That's why his chest hurt so badly… "My father…" Slick murmured, hoping that Karen would understand. She did.

The cat sighed heavily. "Him again? Geez, what's with this guy? Wait, is this what you were askin' me about earlier, with your deepest fears?" Slick nodded.

"Have you tried contacting any law enforcements? Domestic and child abuse is illegal, after all."

"Nobody would bother to try to capture my dad," Slick said with a sorrowful frown. "He's greatly known for his notorious role as a mafia member and a murderer."

With a groan, Karen shook her head. "I dunno how to help with that, pal. My only advice is to keep yourself alive. Live to surpass your dad and show him how strong you can really be."

"Yeah. Thanks," Slick said with a smile.

"No prob'. You could also ask Esau for his opinion. He usually has an answer for everything," Karen suggested with a shrug. She began to walk back to her cabin closeby, leaving the python to turn his head towards Mt. Whitehead…


	2. Wisdom

"Overcoming a Fear"

Chapter 2: Wisdom

Whoever heard of a python who could climb up one of the tallest mountains in the camp area? As impossible as it might sound, Slick managed to do that very act with steady procedure until he reached the outside of a lair, the lair of a technological green mongoose. Esau.

"Finally…made it…to the top…" the python whispered between heavy breaths. The long climb was tiring enough, but the cut also made him tired and sore even more. He sure hoped that Esau was here.

As he slithered his way towards the entrance, Slick felt weaker and weaker, the lack of oxygen at the top of the mountain shortened his breath, and the cold temperature didn't help the reptile either. His vision blurred, and his eyes closed as his body fell limply.

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"Is he even alive anymore?" The sound of potato chips munching…

"Of course he's still alive, Albert," another voice was heard. "I can feel a pulse."

True, the python could feel some fingers on the side of his neck…They felt cold, like a doctor's touch. He slightly feared doctors, mostly because of the painful shots…but that was beside the point. At that moment, he just wanted to get away and find help. He opened his eyes and prepared for what was in front of him…

"Ah, so you're awake now." Esau!

"Don't bother explaining yourself," the mongoose continued. "You have a problem that you want solved, correct?" Slick nodded, amazed that the techno mongoose already knew the situation.

"He saw the fight between you and Karen, then heard the conversation through a recording," Albert explained with a smirk. "You're crazy, man."

Esau lightly blushed and cleared his throat. "Speak for yourself," he mumbled under his breath before continuing.

"Yes, well, let's get to the point here. Slick, curing a fear like yours is a lot harder than it sounds. A physical fear, like spiders or heights, does not take that lot of effort to cure and can take only days or weeks of testing. A mental fear, however, can take months of testing and an even longer time to completely get over it. Your fear in particular, your father's abuse, can only be avoided if you either live away from him or if he receives guidance to the right path."

Slick took this all in, his attentive expression gradually dropping to a sad frown as Esau listed the possibilities. In other words, it was plain impossible. If he tried to move away from the village, his father and the gang would hunt him down and kill him immediately, with no one to protect him; and his father seeking guidance was like finding a spotted, striped whale with horns: Never going to happen.

Esau noticed the hopeless expression on the python's face and sighed. "I don't think there is anything else I can do to help." He pointed to a tunnel beside him. "You can go down this path to get to Leaky Lake faster."

"Thanks," Slick replied before disappearing into the dark tunnel…


	3. Magic

"Overcoming a Fear"

Chapter 3: Magic

Why, oh why, did he ever choose this dark, unknown tunnel to travel back to the base of the mountain? Yes, Esau offered it to him very nicely, but it was already known to be dark and crawling with who-knows-what. Maybe he wanted to be brave for once…with no witnesses…Yeah, real smart.

Slick started to relax as he caught sight of light up ahead. Finally, an exit out of here! The light became brighter and brighter as he drew closer and closer, until he was now viewing Leaky Lake on a bright, sunny afternoon.

Slithering towards the dock, he noticed someone already present. Upon further inspection, he recognized the person as the happy, grinning-type roadrunner Monica. Filled with curiosity, the python slowly slithered to her and stayed behind.

"M-Monica?" Slick stuttered.

The roadrunner turned around and grinned at the python. "¡Hola, chico pitón!" She noticed the sad expression on his face and became sad herself. "¿Qué pasa? Usted parece triste." Slick looked confused, which Monica knew why. "Sorry, chico. I said, 'What is the matter? You seem sad.'"

"Oh…I just can't seem to get away from my fears for good. I've already asked Karen and Esau for their advice."

Monica nodded as she followed along. "¿Y? What did they say?"

Slick sighed and continued, "Karen told me to stay alive, and Esau suggested that I move away or get help for my father."

"Ah, bien. Y…does it help?"

He shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks. "No, it's hopeless…Even if I follow any of these, my father will find a way to ruin my life, just like he's done when I was first born…"

Monica immediately embraced the crying, shivering python into her arms. She whispered comforting words to him. "Shh, it's okay. Your father cannot harm you forever, chico."

"Hey, what's wrong?"

The Mexican roadrunner turned her head to see Tom standing in front of them with a look of concern.

"Es nuestro amigo pitón. Él está triste," Monica explained to Tom. She softly whispered to him, "It's his father…"

Tom nodded knowingly and, with a smile, took out a bottle of green liquid from his pocket. He popped open the cork and poured some liquid on his hand. Nothing happened.

Slick took notice of the raccoon's actions almost nervously. "T-Tom…What is that?"

Without saying a word, Tom simply snapped his fingers, the ones covered with the green liquid, and smiled as an orb appeared in thin air. Figures could be seen inside the orb, like a crystal ball.

"This, my friend," Tom finally spoke, "is called magic. Take a look inside."

Slick did, and his sorrowful expression gradually lightened when he saw the image inside. He saw police and the FBI…and a muscular python being dragged away into a barred prison.

"M-My…dad…" was all he could let out. Monica appeared just as astonished by the image.

Tom observed their expressions contently. "I heard in the news this morning –through Lumpus' confiscated radio- that Kobra Kahn was sighted in New York and later captured and taken to prison."

"Nuevo York?! Pero…" Monica didn't finish her sentence. She covered her mouth with her hands, with a look of shock.

"Yep, he was close," Tom finished the sentence for her. He looked at Slick with satisfaction, and asked, "Now can you feel safer?"

The python, now smiling with never-before-seen glee, nodded in agreement. "Yes, I can. Thank you, guys."

'_Thank you…everyone.'_


End file.
